Honour-Shame, Fear-Punishment and Righteousness-Guilt
I posed a question... It is argued that the British culture that I grew up in was one of honour-and-shame. Cricket was not just a game but an attitude to life, a moral code. Something that ‘wasn’t cricket’ was against the moral code we grew up with. Honour and shame have always been driving forces in my life. It’s argued that Jewish culture is more righteousness-and-guilt than honour-and-shame. These two cultures are radically different though it could be argued that shame is the result of personal guilt. But what does one feel, guilt or shame? Both these two systems create a community culture of morality that binds it together, albeit from a radically different basis. Is working class culture, was it one of those two cultures or something different still? Were you more driven by righteousness-and-guilt or honour-and-shame? But then I realised it was more complex than that and needed an explanation to be able to even ask the question. I knew in my mind what I meant by ...
